Centrifuge



RUF CENTlfiFUGE April 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Filed July 17, 1956;

INVENTOR. WALTER RUF A T TORNEY.

United States PatentQ CENTRIFUGE Walter Ruf, Bottighofen, Switzerland Application July 17, 1956, Serial No. 598,375 Claims priority, application Switzerland August s, 1955 7 Claims. 01. 233-45 The present invention relates to a centrifuge for cleaning liquids and having a vertically Standing drum open j, the outer edge of the centrifugal impeller, whereby a below for automatically emptying when at rest.

The aim of the invention consists in the centrifuge being designed self-priming, so that it is no longer neces- Sary to have supply pipes projecting into the centrifuge for the liquid to be cleaned, but the centrifuge can autorinatically draw this liquid from a stock tank. According to the invention, the centrifuge is characterized by the fact that a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied, is arranged under the centrifuge, and the rotor of the centrifuge dips into the liquid to be cleaned for the purpose of drawing it up, while the outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid is arranged on the upper part of the drum.

With reference to the accompanying drawing, two embodiments of the centrifuge are described by way of example, where: Fig. 1 shows centrifuge,

- 3 Fig; 2 a plan view of the same.

In the first embodiment, a cylindrical casing 3 with an inwardly projecting flange 4,is set on a plate 2 arranged on a stock tankl. On this flange 4 there lies a supporting ring 5 to which are bolted on the one hand an electric flange-motor 6 and on the other hand a bearing carrier 7. Through the downwardly-projecting hollow continuation of this bearing carrier, the rotating drum shaft 8 extends, which at its upper end is connected by a flexible coupling with "rubber ring 9 to the shaft of the motor 6. The shaft 8 carries a flange 10 on which the drum hub 11 is placed, this drum hub being guided with respect to the continuation of the bearing carrier 7 by means of two taper roller bearings 12. Extending out from the hub 11 is a partition 13, part of it taper, which divides the drum 14 into an upper and a lower chamber and is provided with openings 15 for the passage of liquid from the lower chamber to the upper one. In the neighborhood of the lower drum-opening, a drip ring 14 is provided on the outside of the drum, in order to hinder any rising of liquid on the outside of the drum.

For the automatic drawing-up of the liquid to be cleaned, and present in the stock tank 1, there is provided a suction member rotating with the drum, projecting through the lower drum-opening and having a propeller 16. This propeller forms a delivery member and is arranged in the interior of a suction pipe 17 which is coaxial with the drum 14 and has at its upper end a centrifugal impeller 18 seated on the drum shaft 8, in order to deliver the drawn-up liquid against the inner side of the drum. For this purpose the centrifugal impeller has radial blades 19.

The suction member dips into the liquid present in the stock tank 1. In order to avoid creating any eddying in the stock tank and also otherwise to keep the liquid quiet at the suction place, the suction member is surrounded by a bush 20 which is coaxial with the drum and whose bottom edge is situated lower than the suction a vertical section through a first member. The bush 20 is held by three supporting arms 21 fixed to the plate 2. In order to encourage the forwarding of the liquid in the suction pipe, a second delivery member in the form of a screw 22 is provided. The whole suction member is fixed on the lower end of the drum shaft 8.

, In the lower chamber of the drum, a packet of lamellae 23 consisting of a plurality of taper sheet-metal rings is arranged through which the liquid flows from outside to inside, thus assisting in separating-out the particles that have to be removed from the liquid. The lamellae are completely immersed in the liquid which flows over through the openings 15 into the upper chamber of the drum. These openings are arranged in such a way that the liquid ring in the lower chamber extends exactly to smooth passage of the liquid from the stock tank into the drum is obtained. I .For removing the cleaned liquid from the centrifuge, the upper chamber of the drum is openat the top, and in the illustrated example the liquid is taken up by two lifting tubes 24 and led away through the T-piece 25.

It is evident that many of the described details may be constructed otherwise within the scope of the invention, in that for instance the lamellae 23 could be omitted or replaced by one single disk seated on the hub 11 and projecting into the liquid ring in the lower chamber of the drum. Also the suction member itself may be constructed differently. For instance, instead of the combination of screw 22 and propeller 16, only one or other of these delivery members alone could be provided.

The described, self-priming centrifuge empties automatically when at rest, in that the liquid present in the upper chamber of the drum then falls through the openings 15 and 26 into the lower chamber, and together with the liquid present there falls partly through the openings 27 and then through the bottom opening formed by the gap between the suction member and the drum into the stock tank. The specifically relatively heavy particles deposited on the wall of the drum are then swept along with the liquid into the stock tank, particularly if the drum is braked strongly when bringing the drum to rest. 7 The upper chamber of the drum has preferably a larger diameter than the lower chamber, so that, when the centrifuge is brought to rest, first of all the liquid in the lower chamber flows out downwards, and only later the liquid accumulated in the upper chamber falls downwards, in order to rinse the lower chamber clean.

Such centrifuges are suitable, for instance, for cleaning coolants which are used in connection with grinding machines. In particular the cleaning for whole groups of grinding machines can be carried out at some central position, in that one centrifuge together with at least another one working in parallel with it draws the liquid to be cleaned from the same stock tank and centrifuges it. Thus, to suit dilferent demands, simply one or more centrifuges are set onto the stock tank or removed from it again.

What is claimed is:

1. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum having a lower opening for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied arranged beyond the centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to be cleaned which is contained in said stock tank for the purpose of drawing it up, and an outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, and a suction member on said rotor projecting through the lower opening of said drum and dipping into the liquid present in said stock tank, said suction member extending through said lower opening of said lower opening of said drum.

2. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum, open below for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied arranged beyond the centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to be cleaned which is contained in said stock tank for the purpose of drawing it up, and an outlet opening ofthe drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, a suction member on said rotor projecting through the lower opening of said drum anddipping into the liquid present in said stock tank and a propeller arranged in said suction member.

3. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum, open below for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied, arranged beyond the centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to be cleaned which is contained insaid stock tank for the purpose of drawing it up, and an outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, a suction member on said rotor projecting through the lower opening of said drum and dipping into the liquid present in said stock tank, said suction member being coaxial with said drum and; including delivery means.

4. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum, open below for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied arranged beyond the centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to be cleaned which is contained in said stock tank for the purpose of drawing it up, and an outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, a suction member on said rotor projecting through the lower opening of said drum and dipping into the liquid present in said stock tank, said suction member being coaxial with said drum and including delivery means, and a centrifugal impeller at the upper end of said suction member to deliver the drawn-up liquid against the inner side of said drum.

5. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum, open below for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied arranged beyond the centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to be cleaned which is contained in said stock tank for the purpose ofdrawing it up, and an outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, a suction member on 'said rotor projecting through the lower opening of said drum and dipping into the liquid present in said stock tank, a stationary bush on said suction member coaxial with said drum, the lower end of said bush being lower than said suction member.

6. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum, open below for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied arranged beyond the centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to, be cleaned which is contained in said stock tank for the purpose of drawing it up, and an outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, a partition in said drum dividing it into a lower and an upper chamber, openings in said partition for the passage of cleaned liquid out of said lower. Chamber into said upper chamber open; at the topfor the removal of the cleaned liquid.

7. In a centrifuge for cleaning liquids a vertically standing drum, open below for automatically emptying when at rest, a stock tank, to. which the liquid to be cleaned is supplied arranged; beyond the-centrifuge, a centrifuge rotor positioned to dip into the liquid to be cleaned which is contained in said stock tank for the purpose of drawing it up, a suction member on said rotor and a centrifugal impeller at the upper end of said suc tion member, an outlet opening of the drum for the cleaned liquid arranged on the upper part of said drum, a partition in said drum dividing it into a lowe i and, an upper chamber, openings in said partition for the passage of cleaned liquid out of said lower chamber into. said upper chamber open at the top for the removal of the, cleaned liquid, said openings being arranged in such a manner that the liquid ring in said lower chamber reaches exactly to the outer edge of said centrifugal impeller in said suction member.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,712,184 Wendel May 7, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,765 Germany June, 30, 1932 

